Chapter 295 - 295 Soaking in The Hot Spring
"So you're Hitsugaya Toshiro!" Ichigo exclaimed in surprise.
Although he had heard the name Hitsugaya Toshiro more than once before and had even seen him in front of Senzaikyu, Ichigo never imagined the real Toshiro would be like this.
'Hmm... he's way too young. No, too small!' In Ichigo's mind, the Vice-Captain-Commander and 10th Division's Captain, Hitsugaya Toshiro, should be a rigid old man or a stern middle-aged man.
But the guy claiming to be Hitsugaya Toshiro before him... Ichigo even suspected his age might be less than his own sisters, Karin and Yuzu.
"Yep, that's right. I'm the genuine, 100% authentic Hitsugaya Toshiro. If you don't believe me, you can ask Yoruichi-san here," Toshiro said.
"No need to doubt, Ichigo. He is Hitsugaya Toshiro. Kisuke mentioned him to you before… the Vice-Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13," Yoruichi said leisurely from the hot spring.
Initially, when she sensed someone intruding, Yoruichi had tensed up. But upon seeing it was Toshiro, she relaxed her guard.
It wasn't that Yoruichi trusted Toshiro immensely, but after their previous encounter, she clearly understood that Toshiro's overall strength and Shunpo were superior to hers. If he truly intended them harm, they would have been finished long ago.
Meanwhile, Ichigo, having confirmed Toshiro's identity, glared at Toshiro with anger.
"Hey, hey, what's with that look? As if I have some kind of father-killing grudge against you," Toshiro couldn't help but ask, puzzled.
Seeing Toshiro's 'feigned ignorance', Ichigo grew even more furious. "You! It was you who injured Chad!"
"Whoa! You've got it wrong. Although I did spar with Chad for a couple of moves, I didn't actively injure him," Toshiro explained.
"Then why was Chad's Reiatsu so faint, almost undetectable earlier? If I hadn't sensed his Reiatsu later, I'd have thought he was dead! And I asked Ikkaku, who was fighting me at the time, and he said the owner of the Reiatsu fighting Chad was you!" Ichigo demanded loudly.
"Well, I did test his strength, but I didn't harm him. He overexerted himself, continuously pushing his power beyond his limits until he collapsed from exhaustion."
"Of course, I bear some responsibility too. But my main concern was for him. His actions were too reckless, charging headlong through the Seireitei without any flexibility."
"So, I planned to take him to the 10th Division to prevent further recklessness. But who knew he'd be so stubborn, treating me like some arch-villain, vowing not to stop until he defeated me, and ending up exhausting himself."
"In a way, it was lucky for him. He was fortunate to run into me. If he'd encountered other Captains, he might be dead. Anyway, I took him to the 4th Division, so he's fine now. No need to worry."
Only because it was Ichigo did Toshiro take the trouble to explain the details.
"Is that so?" Ichigo seemed half-convinced, half-doubting Toshiro's explanation.
"Of course. Why would I lie to you? Besides, Urahara Kisuke must have mentioned me to you, right?" Toshiro countered.
"Well, Urahara-san did say that if we encountered any insurmountable difficulties, we could seek your help," Ichigo admitted.
"Alright, Ichigo. Captain Hitsugaya is someone we can trust. No need for further suspicion. If he truly meant us harm, we would have been captured by the Soul Society long ago," Yoruichi advised.
"I guess so..." Ichigo hesitated but ultimately chose to temporarily trust Toshiro based on Yoruichi's words.
"By the way, Captain Hitsugaya, as Vice-Captain-Commander and 10th Division's Captain, you must be very busy. Why do you have time to visit us?" Yoruichi asked curiously.
Logically, although Toshiro promised Isshin to help them if they were in danger, that was only if they were in peril.
After all, Toshiro was part of the Soul Society, not aligned with 'intruders' like them. Excessive contact wouldn't be good for Toshiro.
Hearing Yoruichi's question, Toshiro sighed helplessly. "Sigh... Actually, I'm currently on the run. The titles of Vice-Captain-Commander and 10th Division's Captain are pretty useless right now."
"Oh? I wonder what interesting incident could cause our Captain Hitsugaya such a headache?" Yoruichi asked, intrigued.
Given Toshiro's status and strength in the Soul Society, Yoruichi couldn't imagine what could make him suffer a setback.
"Ichimaru Gin framed me for murdering Aizen and wanting to destroy the Seireitei and Soul Society. And he made it quite convincing, at least on the surface. The Central 46 even ordered me to cooperate with an investigation. But I have things to do during this period, how could I go along with their investigation? So, I simply ran away," Toshiro explained to Yoruichi.
"Ichimaru Gin... that little guy by Aizen's side back then? But to accuse you of killing Aizen... Hah! That's truly laughable!" Yoruichi's tone turned icy.
Back then, it was because of Aizen that Yoruichi and Kisuke were forced to flee the Soul Society and hide in the Living World, and the Vizards nearly died. So, Yoruichi naturally held no goodwill for Aizen or his 'accomplice', Gin.
"So, what are your plans next, Captain Hitsugaya?" Yoruichi inquired.
"Plans? Hmm... I plan to soak in this hot spring first!" With that, Toshiro 'swished' off his Captain's Haori, then, bare-chested and wearing only pants, 'plopped' into the hot spring.
"Ahhh... So comfortable! This hot spring Urahara Kisuke created is truly different from ordinary ones," Toshiro said, closing his eyes, feeling utterly relaxed.
Ichigo: "..."
Yoruichi: "..."